


Failed Vessel

by Willcraftapple11



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: (mentioned) - Freeform, Angst, Gen, Is it Major Character Death if you're really still alive after everything?, Let's just dump so much glossed over angst my goodness, Non-Graphic Violence, Possession, Removal of Will, nah, there is no comfort in this pizza hut you get you angst and you sit down
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 13:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22716727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willcraftapple11/pseuds/Willcraftapple11
Summary: It is not Pure. It is not Hollow. It is alive, and that is the Problem.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	Failed Vessel

**Author's Note:**

> My first Hollow Knight fic!

It climbed to the top of the abyss. Patiently. Perfectly. The only way to go was up, and so it went.

At the top, a voice, a God, spake:  
  


“ **No mind to think.”** And so it was.

  
“ **No will to break.”** And so it had none.

  
“ **No voice to cry suffering.”** It had never had one in the first place.  
  


“ **Borne of God and Void.”** It stood, straight as it had always been and always would be.  
  


“ **You are the Hollow Knight.”** And so the Hollow Knight was.

The God, the Pale King, turned and walked away. It followed, barely making a noise, even from walking. Even though the Pale King had not given it an order.

…He did not notice.

Do not think.

Do not speak.

The King brought it to a training field and told it to train.

It did not ask how, do not think, it did not ask why, do not speak. It trained.

It was trained until it was told to stop.

It followed.

It guarded.

It obeyed every order the Pale King gave it.

Do not think.

Do not speak.

Do not hope.

A mantra. Repeated.

_let me in_

It was the perfect vessel. It obeyed every order.

It did not think. _do not_

It did not speak. _it could not speak_

It did not hope. _hope for what? what could it hope for?_

It trained until its void limbs trembled. Until its chitin cracked and ichor poured out. And then it trained further still.

It would train.

It would stand for hours, days, weeks, perfectly still. A statue was to be made of it.

_aren’t you tired of not thinking, not speaking, not hoping?_

_let me in, and think_

_let me in, and speak_

_let me in, and…_

It was to trap the Radiance in its mind. In its body. In its SOUL.

It would save Hallownest. It would be her hope. It would let her people dream again.

_what was a dream? how could it be someone’s hope?_

_let me in, i will let you dream_

_let me in, i will be your hope_

_let me in_

It ignored the whispers. The spots of orange in its vision. The hint of something just out of sight wherever it looked. It was perfect. It could not have any flaws. It could not. It would not.

Do not think.

Do not speak.

Do not hope.

Do not.

It trained.

It stood.

It followed.

It obeyed every order.

It was the perfect vessel. _it was not_

_Let me in_

The whispers became louder.

The orange spots grew.

It found it spreading into its blood.

It trained harder.

_Let Me In._

_I Will Think For You. I Will Give You Thought._

_I Will Speak For You. I Will You Voice._

_I Will Hope For You. I Will Give You Hope._

_Let Me In._

It could not. For it was not in the Temple.

It did not let her in.

~~It did not want to.~~

Do Not Think.

Do Not Speak.

Do Not Hope.

Do Not Want.

It cannot want anything.

It cannot hope for anything.

It cannot think for anything.

~~And yet, it wanted.~~

~~It wanted his approval.~~

~~It wanted to speak. To cry. To scream.~~

~~It wanted….~~

~~It…~~

Do not think. Do not speak. Do not hope.

_Let Me In_

She crooned at it.

It wanted.

Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not Do…

She was so tempting. A voice, a mind, a hope, she offered it.

_Let Me IN, Little Vessel._

_LET ME IN  
LET ME IN  
LET ME IN_

How could it let her in? She was already inside it. Her infection spreading through its ichor and threading through its chitin.

To let her in would be to destroy Hallownest, destroy the Pale King. It could not.

**_LET ME IN  
LITTLE VESSEL  
I WILL GIVE YOU THOUGHT  
I WILL GIVE YOU HOPE  
I WILL GIVE YOU VOICE  
LET ME IN_ **

It couldn’t. It wouldn’t. It took its nail and left for the Abyss.

It would destroy itself before She could take it.

**_DO NOT_ **

**_YOU ARE MINE_ **

**_LET ME IN_ **

**_LET ME IN_ **

It was before the door of the Abyss, yet it could not open the doors.

The Pale King had sealed them.

It took its nail and struck at itself. Again and again, it struck.

Orange ichor splattered the walls.

The Radiance screamed in anger.

**_YOU ARE MINE_ **

**_MY MIND TO RUIN_ **

**_MY WILL TO BREAK_ **

**_MY HOPE TO SNUFF_ **

**_CEASE THIS AT ONCE_ **

It kept striking at itself.

Dimly, it heard “Ogrim! Strike it down, it is infected!”

And it stuttered to a kneel, waiting for the White Defender to strike.

He struck, and as Ogrim did so it thrust its nail upwards, clear through its chest.

Its vision filled with black, now, and it was pleased.

**A Mind That Thinks.**

No

**A Will To Break.**

NoNoNoNoNoNoNo

**Still No Voice To Cry Suffering.**

nonononononononononono

**You And I, Little Vessel, Are Going to Have _Fun._**

If it could have screamed, it would have.

If it could have cried, it would have.

It was not the Perfect Vessel.

It had failed.


End file.
